MOSCOW, August 17. /TASS/. Withdrawal from purchases of Russian gas from July 1 cost $8.6 mln to Ukraine’s state gas company Naftogaz Ukrainy, according to the country’s Minister of energy and coal industry Vladimir Demchishin speaking with The Ukrainian Week magazine.

The price of European gas stood at $255 per 1,000 cubic meters from early Q3, while Russian gas cost $247 per 1,000 cubic meters, the Minister said.

In July, Naftogaz purchased 568.3 mln cubic meters of gas from Europe while in August gas purchases have already reached 512.4 mln cubic meters. Thus, Ukraine has spent $8.6 mln more on reverse gas than it would have spent if the country purchased gas from Russia.